Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-Lock

The Washington Post had a nice article about the rising theft of bicycles and using the Web to sell them to unsuspecting buyers. One particular bike rider, Martin Moulton, had a good ending when one of his friends spotted his stolen 2005 Cannondale on Craigslist. With the help of police at the last-minute, he was able to recover his bike. The seller was released when it was found out that he was just a third-party person selling the bike on behalf of the person that "found" it.

Is it possible for others to find their stolen bike on Craigslist or even eBay? There's always a chance, but for most folks, the odds of getting back their bike is pretty slim. Even if you report the stolen bike, had it registered including the VIN inscription, it does not substantially increase your chances of finding it again. The VIN can guarantee that the bike is rightfully yours, but that's the easy part.

The best way to prevent theft is to secure it properly and with the best tools that are available. Slate.com did a review of the top bike locks, and the top two are the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-Lock (shown on picture above) and the OnGuard Brute STD U-lock.

The Kryptonite New York lock retails for $89.95, its pertinent thickness is 18mm, and only weighs 4.6 pounds. There is a free anti-theft warranty too: $4,500 for one year.

It was subjected to the following tools: an 18-inch crowbar, 30-inch bolt cutters, a hacksaw, three special blades, and a claw hammer.

At most, it took approx 42 minutes using the hacksaw to break through the 18 mm shackle.

The OnGuard Brute lock goes for $69.95 and has a 16 mm shackle, weighs 4.5 pounds, and it also has a free anti-theft warranty of $3,001 for one year.

Sawwing on the 16 mm shackle for five minutes took about 3 mm deep. At that rate, it would take 35 minutes to cut through.

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The STD U-lock for the Kryptonite (KryptoLok $29.99) and OnGuard (Bulldog $29.99) are much more vulnerable. For the Kryptonite, it took the Slate.com columnist less than a minute to break through the shackle. The included mounting bracket was just flimsy plastic.

For the OnGuard, it was indeed durable against the cutting, but the staff at the bike store told the author that the sturdy-looking mounting bracket would eventually snap off. On a stroke of good timing, a customer walked in with a broken OnGuard mount. If you are in NYC, the Bulldog is not recommended.

Unless you got several U-locks, it is best to buy the highest quality out there. If you got a woven steel cable lock, throw it in the trash. A hacksaw and bolt cutters can slice through them quite easily. That's why they don't have zero theft protection.

Even the KryptoLok U-lock does not carry a zero-theft warranty.

If you got an expensive bike, buy an expensive lock. While Case Protective Services offers bike locks for rent, find out what models they are offering, and check out their reviews on the net. Sometimes, they may not have the best option for you.

As such, be aware of where you are securing your bike. Of course, it does not help the fact that some bikes have been stolen right off the bike rack in an open area or near a building. It would be quite interesting if a person was busy hacksawing a bike for 30 minutes and managed to carry it away without anyone doing anything. If you got a mobile phone, use it and call 3333 or 911. If you got a digital camera, use it. If you see a security officer walking by, alert the person to the theft in progress.

Quite a lot of bike thefts during July.